


Stray

by Drowned_in_Feels



Category: Marvel, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cats, Gen, Gen Work, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Mental Health Issues, Other Characters Are Mentioned, if you like cats and venom this fic is for you, think of this as a one-shot in two parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-18 17:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16521794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowned_in_Feels/pseuds/Drowned_in_Feels
Summary: During one of his lowest moments, Eddie Brock meets a stray cat.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 is set after Eddie loses his job and Annie breaks up with him. I had the idea to write this because I couldn't stand to see Eddie so sad. So I thought of something to cheer him up and since I love cats, that's what I ended up with. Part 2 is set after the plot of the movie.

Eddie was sitting on a park bench, a bottle of beer in his hand. He had been sitting there for a while: the sun had set, his beer had become flat and lukewarm and Eddie felt miserable.

He was always feeling miserable these days. He had lost his job, he had lost Annie, he had lost everything that mattered to him in this life. Now all that was left for him to do was to sit on a lonely park bench, condoning some light alcoholism.

He wasn't quite sure what the point of him being alive was anymore. He didn't have a purpose; he was merely existing. If he vanished right there and then, it wouldn't make any difference. He had spent the last few hours just sitting on a bench, doing absolutely nothing and it didn't matter at all. There was no other place that he was supposed to be at, no other person that he was supposed to be with. Nothing he did or didn't do was of any importance whatsoever.

Sure, maybe Mrs. Chen or Maria would notice if he were to suddenly disappear but they wouldn't be worried to the point that they would look for him. It wouldn't impact their lives. They would probably just assume that he had moved or that he had gotten a new job. That he had gotten a better life.

Eddie chuckled at the thought. At the moment, the chances of his life getting any better were rather slim. Nobody wanted to hire him, he had completely ruined his relationship with Annie, he lived in a shitty apartment and there was nobody who even remotely cared about him, including himself. And that was just what his life was going to be like now so he should better get used to it.

He took another swig from his bottle. He wasn't in a hurry to finish it since he had nowhere else to be but he also didn't have anything better to do than to finish it. It didn't taste very good because he had been holding on to it for too long. He could just pour it into the nearest bush and it wouldn't make any difference. He took another sip.

Right in that moment, a cat jumped onto the bench next to Eddie. It took him by surprise and he flinched. He had been by himself for hours, only the occasional pedestrian walking past with the stern determination not to look at him, the creepy alcoholic on a park bench. To be honest, he didn't blame them. And now, this cat was intruding his bubble of loneliness and misery.

He looked at the cat. The cat looked back. It was the first living thing to acknowledge his existence, to even make eye contact!, without being scared of him that he had encountered all day.

Eddie carefully extended his hand towards the cat as a way of introducing himself and letting the cat decide whether or not he could touch it. The cat sniffed his fingers and hesitated.

“So, what? You're gonna abandon me too, like everyone else?” Eddie wouldn't be surprised if the cat just left him. It could jump off the bench just as easily and quickly as it had jumped on it. And there was nothing appealing about him that a cat could be interested in. He didn't have any food on him, he smelled a little and he looked like the kind of a person that a cat should be weary of.

However, the cat didn't seem to care because it proceeded to bump its little head against Eddie's hand, a clear invitation to pet it. And so, without further consideration, Eddie placed his large hand onto the tiny feline head and started to move it along its back repeatedly. The cat seemed to be enjoying itself. It was pushing its body into his hand, its little paws were pattering on the wooden bench, it was moving in place and slowly coming closer to Eddie. It wasn't long until the cat was rubbing its body against Eddie's side, covering him in shed fur.

The cat made him think of Mr. Belvedere, the cat that belonged to Annie and that had formerly also belonged to him, even though the two cats were nothing alike. Mr. Belvedere had very rarely snuggled up with Eddie, only occasionally demanding to be petted. This cat, however, seemed to be tremendously excited to be getting some attention. Maybe that was due to the fact that it was a stray and strays only very rarely received loving attention from humans. And it was obviously a stray. It had no collar, nor any other sign of ownership. Its fur was a little greasy and it had a few smaller wounds on his face which indicated that it had been in fights.

Eddie felt a little sorry for the cat. He couldn't imagine how long it must have been since the cat had last been petted. Domestic cats, like Mr. Belvedere, had it so much easier. They had a home, they had people that cared about them. Unlike this little stray right here. Unlike Eddie.

Eddie's thoughts were starting to wander into the darker corners of his mind again but before they could get too far, the stray cat climbed into his lap and curled up there. Its body heat was seeping through Eddie's jeans and had it just started to purr?

Eddie gingerly placed a finger on the cat's throat. Yes, he could definitely feel some vibrations. This little fellow was purring. Because of him! Eddie smiled.

As quickly as the corners of his mouth had gone up, they went back down again as Eddie realised that he didn't remember the last time he had smiled. His face wasn't used to the sensation anymore so it had instinctively returned to its normal expression of sorrow.

Eddie absentmindedly ran his fingers through the cat's fur. What had his life come to if he didn't even remember how to smile anymore? How much longer could he hold on to this?

He looked down at the adorable bundle of fluff that had chosen his lap as a good spot to fall asleep in and decided that he should put the dark thoughts on hold for just this moment. He didn't know when the next good thing was going to happen in his life or if there ever would be another good thing, but this right here, that made him happy, even if just for this moment.

For the next hour, all Eddie did was focus on the cat in his lap. He was stroking it, ruffling through its fur and giving it all the love it needed. In return, the cat filled up the loneliness in Eddie's heart. Of course not forever, only for now. But that was good enough for him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie was sitting on a park bench but this time, he wasn't alone.

**What are we doing here?**

Eddie still wasn't used to the voice in his head. He hadn't fully processed the events that had gone down at the Life Foundation yet and while he appreciated Venom's presence it also felt overwhelming at times. He remembered the time when he would have done anything just to not feel alone and now he couldn't sometimes help but wish to just have a little time to himself.

“When I was by myself I came here a lot.” Eddie said the words out loud. Of course Venom could hear his thoughts but talking to him out loud helped him keep track of the conversation they were having. A few passer-bys gave him weird looks. “Now that everything has changed it just felt right to come back here.”

**Boring. I'll leave you to it.**

At least that allowed him to think without Venom interrupting him. This new life was strange and he needed time to adjust. Of course, it was a huge improvement in comparison to what his life had looked like before but living with Venom still felt very new to him.

Eddie remembered all the sadness and despair he used to feel when he was on his own. He never wanted to feel like that again. And as weird as it sounded, Venom actually made him happy. He kept him occupied, he gave him a purpose and he helped him get his life back together.

He thought back to his darker times. To being so far down the drain that he thought he could never climb his way back up. To drinking his consciousness away. To just sitting here on this bench, doing absolutely nothing.

And he also recalled one particular night and one particular cat that had reminded him that he still knew how to smile. Looking back on that very night he understood how much he had needed that reminder and he felt grateful towards that little stray cat.

As if fate had been looking down upon him, in that very moment, the exact same cat jumped onto the park bench next to Eddie. He couldn't believe his eyes. What were the chances! A smile started to grow across his face as the cat started approaching him.

Immediately, Venom was wide awake. **Looks delicious!**

“No, this cat is important. You absolutely cannot -”

**Look at its plump little body, full of fresh, tasty meat! Its legs are so tender. And its bones are going to be real crispy between my teeth. I bet its organs taste delicious too when I eat it alive, still working and -**

“God! Venom, no!”

His sudden shout startled the cat and it backed away. Eddie instantly regretted his outburst. “No, come back. I won't hurt you.” He spoke in a soft voice and gently extended his hand towards the cat. It hesitantly nudged his head against it and Eddie began petting it.

“See, Venom, this is a good cat. We don't eat this cat.”

**But just look at it, it's so -**

“I'll get you tater tots later.”

**Okay**

Eddie was glad that Venom gave in so easily. It meant that he could enjoy some time alone with his feline friend. He gently ruffled through its fur. The cat happily responded by rubbing its head against Eddie. As it started to purr, he felt pure joy blossoming within himself, the emotion warming him up from the inside. He was in such a better state now than when he had first met the cat and he was happy that he got to share that with it. It deserved to know that he wasn't a complete wreck anymore.

The cat once again curled up in his lap; Eddie lovingly caressed its fur. He was happy for this moment of peace in the chaos that was his life. He craved more of those moments which were hard to come by when sharing a body with an alien symbiote. Maybe he should just take the cat home. But that wouldn't be safe considering Venom's unpredictable appetite. At least he would make sure to visit the cat here in the park as often as he could. Next time, he would bring treats.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! It's not my best work but I hope you enjoyed it anyways. Feel free to leave some feedback! <3


End file.
